ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1187
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1187
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From: "S Friedemann"
20 Aug 1998
Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You wanted to know if would be appropriate for a late
13th, early 14th century Scottish feminine persona. Here is the information
we have found.
In your period, there were several languages spoken in the region we now
think of as Scotland. The important languages were Gaelic, the same
language spoken in Ireland; English, spoken mostly in the southeast; Norman
French, still used by the Scoto-Norman descendents of 12th century Norman
settlers, mostly in the south; and Norse, spoken in the north and in the
western isles. After your period, the English of the Lowlands of Scotland
evolved into Scots, a new language. All these languages formed names in
different ways, and although there was overlap in some areas, the culture
you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be
constructed.
, which we find recorded in 1567, is a Scots form of [3],
which in turn is a feminine form of the name . We have no evidence
that it was used in the 13th or 14th century, and suggest that you consider
the alternate feminine forms of that we found: 1304 or
1329-34. [3] These would both be appropriate for an English or
Scoto-Norman persona.
is a shortened form of the Irish patronymic byname (a nickname
based on the father's name) , meaning literaly "son of
Dubdarach". [1,2] We have no evidence that or
were ever used in Scotland, so we are unable to suggest any appropriate
feminine form. Even if it was used in Scotland, as a Gaelic patronym it
would not be used with an English or Scoto-Norman name.
As it stands, is not an authentic name. is a
16th century Scots name. is a shortened form of an Irish
patronym. These two would not have been used together at any time in
period. If you want to keep , then we recommend you move your
persona to the 16th century and into Scots (Lowland) culture. If you want
to keep , then you'll want a Gaelic-speaking persona, ideally from
Ireland. If you want to keep your persona in Scotland around 1300, then
your name should fit one of the cultures of that period. We can help you
construct a name appropriate to any of them. Write us again if you'd like
help pursuing any of these options.
We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not
hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further
questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Talan
Gwynek and Arval Benicoeur.
For the Academy,
--Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael
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References:
[1] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_
(Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation).
[2] O'Brien, M. A., ed., _Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae_ (Dublin: The
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976).
[3] Talan Gwynek, "A List of Feminine Personal Names found in Scottish
Records" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). .
http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/scottishfem/scottishfemearly.html